Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Penguin Episode 1, “After Hours.”
The Penguin gives The Batman’s Oz Cobb his very own spinoff – but will the 2022 blockbuster’s main supervillain also show up in the HBO limited series? Will Paul Dano’s Riddler return in The Penguin?
Is Paul Dano’s Riddler in The Penguin?
No, Paul Dano will not appear as Edward Nashton/The Riddler in The Penguin. While the acclaimed actor’s character is still very much alive at this point in the Bat-Verse timeline – he’s currently cooling his heels in Arkham – he’s not part of Oz Cobb’s new solo story.
That said, The Penguin still features plenty of direct and indirect references to Riddler throughout its eight-episode run. This includes Episode 1, “After Hours,” which kicks off with an opening montage recapping how the Riddler flooded Gotham City in The Batman. “After Hours” also includes a scene where Oz crosses paths with one of Riddler’s followers, who is handing out question mark-branded leaflets on the subway. So, even though Edward Nashton isn’t on the scene in The Penguin, he nevertheless looms large over the series.
Related: Is Robert Pattinson’s Batman in The Penguin?
The Penguin executive producer (and The Batman director) Matt Reeves defended this approach in a recent interview. Speaking with Total Film, Reeves explained that keeping Riddler and Robert Pattinson’s Batman off-camera meant there was more time to properly focus on Oz and his underworld associates.
“I’m a point-of-view filmmaker,” he said. “When I’m doing a Batman story, Batman and Bruce is going to be the main point of view. To explore the rogues gallery, they could never get the real estate we can do in a series. So Batman is in this [show] only as a sense that he’s a presence. You’re aware that all of these events began because of the Riddler, but the Riddler doesn’t appear and Batman doesn’t appear.”
The Penguin is currently streaming on HBO and Max, with new episodes dropping Sundays.
Published: Sep 20, 2024 07:08 am